Precision wideband ADC cuts power consumption in half

Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) has introduced its ADS127L11 24-bit wideband analog-to-digital converter (ADC), claiming the smallest device that delivers industry-leading signal-measurement precision at wider bandwidths than competing ADCs. The ADS127L11 ADC reportedly achieves ultra-precise data acquisition in a 50% smaller package, optimizing power consumption, resolution, and measurement bandwidth for a range of industrial systems.

“There is a clear trend toward smaller solution size and lower power consumption in applications such as test and measurement equipment and portable medical devices, where improved battery life is imperative,” said Noman Akhtar, senior research analyst, Omdia, in a statement. “There is an urgency to provide increased data throughput, higher bandwidth and lower power, all in a smaller footprint.”

Click for a larger image. (Source: Texas Instruments)

The ADS127L11 offers wideband and low-latency filter options to optimize ADC performance for data acquisition in a range of industrial systems. For example, in wideband mode designers can improve AC measurement resolution with 50% wider bandwidth, data rates as high as 400 kSPS, and a 30% higher signal-to-noise ratio than competing data converters while minimizing noise at high frequencies, said TI.

In low-latency mode, the ADS12711 delivers 25% lower latency at up to 1,067 kSPS and 83.3% lower offset drift (50 nV/°C), which helps designers improve DC measurement resolution, data throughput, and response times in data acquisition and condition-monitoring applications, said the company.

Another advantage of the ADS12711 is its size. Housed in a 3 × 3-mm quad flat no-lead (WQFN) package, making it 50% smaller than competing ADCs, the ADS12711 eliminates the traditional trade-off between an ADC’s size and measurement precision at higher frequencies in battery-powered industrial equipment, said TI.

The new ADC also is said to increase system functionality by enabling designers to pack additional channels into a compact design. TI offers an application brief, ADS127L11 in Simultaneous-Sampling Systems, that shows designers how to optimize channel density by using multiple ADC channels operating in simultaneous-sampling mode.

ADS127L11 block diagram (Source: Texas Instruments)

In addition to its smaller size, the ADS127L11 extends battery run time thanks to its 50% lower power consumption. The ADS127L11 reportedly consumes half the power of other ADCs, enabling designs such as portable electroencephalogram (EEG) machines and power-quality analyzers to better optimize power consumption against bandwidth requirements using the device’s power-scalable modes. Applications include test and measurement, factory automation and control, aerospace and defense, medical, and grid infrastructure.

Power consumption is as low as 3.3 mW with sampling rates as high as 50 kSPS, which improves signal resolution and battery life, said TI.

The ADS127L11 is available for purchase on TI.com, and comes in a 20-pin, 3 × 3-mm WQFN package or a 20-pin, 6.5 × 4.4-mm thin shrink small-outline package (TSSOP). Pricing starts at $5.75 in quantities of 1,000. Evaluation modules also are available on TI.com for $149.00.